


Pillow Talk

by Pureblood_Slytherin



Series: Studying Humanity [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Outbound Flight - Timothy Zahn
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Late Night Conversations, Meeting Again, Pillow Talk, Probably ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25528198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pureblood_Slytherin/pseuds/Pureblood_Slytherin
Summary: Years after saying goodbye, Thrawn and Maris meet at a party on Coruscant. Quickly, one thing leads to the other.
Relationships: Maris Ferasi/Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo
Series: Studying Humanity [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859278
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	Pillow Talk

**A/N:** This mini one-shot could be read as a sequel to “Studying Humanity”, but doesn’t have to. And a huge thanks to "Trios". It was mostly her work that inspired me to write new Thrawn/Maris stories. If you're interested in her fanfictions - here's a [link](https://www.fanfiktion.de/u/Trios). Enjoy! :)

*****Pillow Talk*****

Afterwards, they lay in bed, their sweat cooling on their bodies, the sheets wrapped loosely around them. 

It was still hard to comprehend how it had happened. How, after all those years, she found herself in his bed again. Here on Coruscant, the centre of the galactic power. Millions of parsecs from where they had met.

After her boss’s death, she had taken over the business and it had gone well. And then, five years later, she had dared to expend to Coruscant, where she also had managed to get some well-off clients and so, when she had gotten the invitation to that party, she had never expected to see him. Of course, she had heard of Grand Admiral Thrawn, but she had tried to banish the thought of him and hearing and seeing were two different things. They had said goodbye years ago. And seeing him here, in an Imperial uniform, had been almost surreal. None of her clients were military, they were simply not a profitable target-group for an interior design company, so she had just not been prepared, but, as her mother had used to say `you always meet twice in life´. Or, in their case, thrice. They had been introduced, had pretended not to know each other and then, out of habit or to make polite conversation, she didn’t know, she had given him her card - telling him to call if he ever considered redecorating his home. Never, ever, had she thought he would. But he had, and then one thing had quickly let to the other. Looking back, it had been insane. Like their whole story had been.

It was dark and the only light came from the dimmed view panel, showing the ever-glittering city lights beneath them. The Imperial Palace not too far away. For all the flaws Coruscant had, this was magnificent. 

"Are you married now?" Thoughtfully, Maris ran her fingers over his chest and his hard pecs, his skin hot against her touch. She had never been on Csilla, but imagined it to be cold there. In fact, this room was cooler than what she was used to.

"It is too early to have this kind of conversation."

Tossing her pillow back into its original position, Maris flopped back down and rolled half over to look at him.

"Are you?" She asked again. She wouldn't give up that easily.

He sighed.

"Chiss law means nothing within the Empire."

"That doesn't mean it means nothing to you." She said meaningful.

"You think you know me?" He asked and then silently shook his head, before looking up at the ceiling, illuminating the room in a strange red colour. "You do not. I break Chiss law all the time. You would not believe the things I have done."

Maris put her head on his chest and felt his hand in her hair. Oh, she had heard about Lothal and some other things.

"I know what you are capable of." She said then, remembering how he had fired on the "living shields" of the Vagaari vessels and destruction of the Outbound Flight. Thrawn was willing to sacrifice people - for a greater good.

"But you aren't like the rest of them." He had a heart. She had seen it and she could feel it, hear it. Right now. He was not a monster, he was not like the Emperor or Vader.

"You do not know me, Maris. You never have. Sometimes I do not know myself."

His words hurt and she wasn't sure if it was intentional, but, somehow, she knew that he was in pain too. Perhaps that was why he had contacted her.

"It must be hard, being in a foreign place all the time."

"That is not the hardest thing." He said, while one of his hand ran down her back. "It is remembering. I have spent more time serving the Empire than the Ascendancy. I think in Basic, I dream in Basic and when I actually meet some of my own people, I sometimes find it hard to relate."

_Had he perhaps lost his way? No, he hadn't. He never would._

"That's only natural." She pulled him closer. "You adapted. You had to."

Still, he seemed alone. _Had he at least someone? The only alien Grand Admiral the Empire had ever had?_ She didn't know.

"Perhaps."

There was a short silence.

_Why had he done it? Why chose this life over what he had had? Yes, he had been discontented, but it was still hard to believe. Him, here, in that white uniform._

"People say you were exiled."

"So I have heard." He said his answer as ambiguous as ever.

"And? Were you?"

"I guess one could say I went too far."

Yes, he often did that, but he was usually clever enough to destroy the evidence afterwards.

"I don't believe it," Maris said then.

"You should not even _think_ that."

_Yes, she shouldn't. And the way he had pronounced the word...Had that been a threat? Or a warning?_

"Does that mean I'm wrong? That you support Palpatine and his despotic regime?"

She knew this was dangerous. After all, she was questioning his loyalty and indirectly accusing him of being - what? A spy? In the highest position Imperial Navy had to offer? That was laughable, wasn't it? Or did he think he could just use Palpatine's troops for his own purposes? Or did he plan a coup d'état? She hoped not. No one survived the Emperor's rage. Surely he must know that. 

"I am a loyal servant of his majesty if that is what you are asking."

She bit her lower lip. Perhaps she was naive, perhaps he had been exiled after Thrass hadn't been able to protect him anymore, and perhaps he wasn't better than Zaarin or Savit and all the others. And in case he hadn't been exiled, he wouldn't acknowledge it either. There was no way to go from here.

"You could quit."

"And do what?" He laughed a humorless laugh. "No. I have worked too hard and come too far for that."

And there it was again - this familiar tone. He had plans. Great plans. He might think he, his sole, was beyond redemption, but he was far from broken.

"What do you want? What is your endgame?"

"Pillow talk - one of the main reasons to avoid sex with the ex."

Maris hit him playfully.

"If you are so annoyed by it, then why did you call me? You could have had anyone."

"And perhaps I did," he whispered and smiled smugly. Maris gaped at him for a second. _Had he really? He probably hadn't been alone all the time, but..._

Suddenly, she heard him laugh quietly.

"I guess not all is lost then." He pulled her on top of him and then kissed her.

"You are evil," Maris said but smiled.

"Oh yes and I intend to be a lot more evil tonight." His hot lips kissed her neck, while his fingers slowly explored the curves of her body, the desire burning down below making it hard to concentrate. A diversion. Maris pressed her hands against his chest.

"You are avoiding the question. Again."

He put his head on the pillow and looked up at her, intently.

"Because you are one of the few who care for my company instead of my bank account. You say what you think, even if it is not always the smartest thing to do. For better or worse, you are not afraid of me and... because you still have feelings for me."

Maris froze. _Had she? Still? After all these years?_ She had tried not to think about it, but she probably had. The thing was that they had a past, he was not some guy who had suddenly stepped into her life and now she was in his bed. Feelings didn't disappear like that, because whatever you had loved about that person was still there. She had just tried not to think about it. Feelings, however, also did not disappear if you ignored them. No, they would only grow louder and build up.

"I..." Maris stuttered. "I... I don't ..."

"No. But you care. You are a marvelously passionate and compassionate creature. You are what I am not. And making love with me means something to you.”

Maris swallowed. He was right. _But what did this mean? And where could this possibly lead them?_

“You are right, it's too early to have this kind of conversation.”

**THE END**


End file.
